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U of M architect William Pedersen to receive university's highest alumni honor- World-renowned architect designed Shanghai skyscraper and is leading new on-campus science building project -
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL ( 11/12/2008 ) -- William E. Pedersen, FAIA FAAR (Fellow, American Institute of Architects, Fellow, American Academy in Rome), will receive the University of Minnesota's highest alumni honor, the Outstanding Achievement Award (OAA), on at a ceremony from 11:30 a.m to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 19 in McNamara Alumni Center, 200 Oak St. S.E., Minneapolis. The university confers the OAA on graduates or former students of the U of M who have attained unusual distinction in their chosen fields or professions and who have demonstrated outstanding achievement and leadership on a community, state, national or international level. Pedersen has been a major influence on the evolution of tall office buildings, including Chicago's 333 Wacker Drive (1984), located at a bend in the Chicago River, on the only triangular site in Chicago's urban grid. He also designed the 2008 World Financial Center in Shanghai, which soars to a height of 1,614 feet and includes 101 aboveground floors, making it the tallest mixed-use urban development project in the world. Pedersen is also the lead designer for the University of Minnesota's new Science Teaching and Student Services building, planned for completion in 2010 on the site adjacent to the Washington Ave. Bridge and the Weisman Museum on the Twin Cities campus. "Bill's accomplishments extend beyond his international design work," said College of Design Dean Thomas Fischer. "Those I know who have worked with Bill all speak to the open and supportive way in which he collaborates with his colleagues and consultants, getting the best results from talented people and gaining the friendship and trust of his clients." Pedersen is the principal design partner of Kohn, Pedersen, Fox Associates (KPF), which he founded with A. Eugene Kohn and Sheldon Fox in 1976. He earned his bachelor of architecture degree at Minnesota in 1961 and went on to complete a master of architecture degree at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1963. Two years later, he won the prestigious Rome Prize in Architecture and spent 18 months studying at the American Academy in Rome. Pedersen's work is featured on the university's Wall of Discovery and has been honored with six National Honor Awards from the American Institute of Architects and a Gold Medal for lifetime achievement in architecture from Tau Sigma Delta, the National Honor Society for Architecture and the Allied Arts. These awards recognize Pedersen's design talents and contributions to important architecture projects worldwide including the World Bank in Washington D.C., the Goldman Sachs Headquarters in London, the DG Bank Headquarters in Frankfurt, the Procter & Gamble World Headquarters in Cincinnati, 333 Wacker Drive in Chicago, Gannett/USA Today Headquarters in McLean Virginia, the new Philadelphia International Airport and the International Commerce Center in Hong Kong. Pedersen currently serves on the U of M Foundation Board of Trustees and has taught at the Rhode Island School of Design, Columbia University and Harvard University. He and his wife, Elizabeth, have established the Bill and Elizabeth Pedersen Graduate Fellowship in Architecture for students in the U of M School of Architecture. Pedersen has also helped create the KPF Prize, a national competition that helps architecture students study abroad while completing thesis research. The university is one of the 19 design schools with whom KPF has chosen to partner. ---------- |
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